Amory, Mississippi
Amory is a city in Monroe County, Mississippi. The population of the city is 7,316, making it the largest in the county. It began as a planned railroad town. The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad needed a midpoint between Memphis, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabamafor their locomotives, and they laid out the new town of Amory in 1887. People from nearby Cotton Gin Port on the Tombigbee River abandoned their town and moved to Amory. Demographics As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is: 66.16% White (4,840) 31.40% Black or African American (2,297) 2.45% Other (179) 23.8% (1,741) of Amory residents live below the poverty line. Theft rate statistics Amory's theft and murder rates are around average. The city reported 7 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 1.77 murders a year. Pokemon See the Monroe County page for more info. Fun facts * In honor of its cultural and historical heritage, the city of Amory holds an annual festival each April known as the "Railroad Festival" in Frisco Park in downtown Amory. Among other attractions, the Railroad Festival includes southern foods—such as fried catfish, barbecue, and apple fritters—rides, arts and crafts, and live music, most notably the local band The Gents who have brought fans out for years with their Motown, Blues Brothers and classic oldies show. Although the time of year—April—often results in rain during one or more days of the 3-day festival, turnout is generally quite large, with as many as 40,000 visiting the festival over the period of a weekend. In addition to the annual Railroad Festival, "Entertainment for Education", also known as "Stars Over Mississippi", was an event held in the City of Amory in the past in which a number of celebrities and entertainers hosted a benefit concert to raise funds for local scholarships. Past performers and attendees included Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Nell Carter, Sandi Patty, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kathy Ireland, Brad Paisley, Brooks and Dunn, Ray Romano, Tony Danza, Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Garrett, and Prince Edward. * Floyd Mayweather Sr. was born in Amory. Another notable native is Trent Harmon, country singer and winner of Season 15 of American Idol. * Blue Suede Shoes was written by Carl Perkins during a trip to Amory, for a concert with Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash in 1955. * On March 30th, 1998, at 1:27 PM CDT, Amory took a direct hit from an F4 tornado and most of the city was left in ruins. Two notable stories included a BNSF SD40-2 being picked up and thrown into the city's Walmart, and a caretaker shielding all six of the young Pokemon she was caring for in the bathroom of her house as the tornado hit. * Amory has a significant amount more amenities to offer than Aberdeen does. The city has a Walmart, a Nintendo World, plenty of fast food, dollar stores, a couple of car dealerships, a few local restaurants, a regional museum, an electric mill complex, and a few other things. Category:Mississippi Cities